wrote a letter to obama pleading for assistance and asking not to be abandoned by the government that he served. that same day secretary kerry at a press conference at nato headquarters defended the administration's efforts in the gross case. >> in the case of mr. gross, we've had any number of initiatives and outreaches over the last several years. we are currently engaged in some discussions regarding that which i'm not at liberty to go into in any kind of detail. we will do everything we can and continue to but these things are often best resolved in quiet diplomacy under the radar screen, behind the scenes and that is exactly what we have been pursuing. >> tell that to allen gross and his family. joining me is his wife, greater supporter and advocate, his wife judy. thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >> when did you last speak to your husband? >> last friday. >> how did he sound? >> he's actually excited about the vigil we just had and feeling some hope for that. prior to that he's been feeling hopeless and much more depressed but this got him up a little bit. >> wha